Pope Francis - 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025
Pope Francis
17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025
Along with the Universal Church, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, we at St. Francis of Assisi Parish and Center mourn the death of Pope Francis.
He was a man of great vision and hope for the church and for the world. From the very beginning of his pontificate he emphasized mercy, God’s mercy, and called us to be merciful with one another.
He called for us to be attentive to the poor and welcome the outcast. He reached out to those who were marginalized and alienated, even by and through the church itself. He knew that to follow Christ’s prayer that all may be one, he showed us by word and example that we must cross those boundaries that keep us separated and divided.
We give thanks for his example of being Christ like in our world.
Just a few hours before he died, he appeared on the balcony at Saint Peter’s for the Easter Blessing and the annual "URBI ET ORBI"/ “To the City and To the World.”
His message was one of hope and joy because of the resurrection. Up to the end, he continued to pray for peace in our world. To the end of conflict and war, and particularly for the people of Israel and Palestine. He was faithful.
Below is the link to his final message to us and to the world. I would encourage you to read it and share in his measure of hope.
We believe he now shares in the eternal splendor of paradise for which he so clearly dedicated his life.
May the angels lead him into paradise;
may the martyrs come to welcome him
and the may saints take him to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.
Fr. Francis Di Spigno, ofm
Pastor
*Link: URBI ET ORBI